M Karisalkulam
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Panchayat elections
1993-2021: Maravar Domination
Padmini Sivarajah, Oct 5, 2021: The Times of India
MADURAI: In its agrarian setting, M Karisalkulam panchayat appears like any other in Ramanathapuram district. There is a difference though. This panchayat has scant regard for the democratic process. And, few, if none, have challenged this audacious violation of the Panchayati Raj system. The by-election to choose the new panchayat president for M Karisalkulam is slated for October 9. But S Vilvasanthi, 34, has been already elected unopposed. The story goes a long way, in fact 28 years to be exact.
The panchayat has been electing its council, from president, vice-president to ward members, unopposed for the past 28 years. That too, from the same family. Dominated by the maravars, a sub-sect of the thevar community (MBC), with a minor representation of the vellalar and yadava communities, this local body has been ‘choosing’ its president from the same family right from the inception of the Panchayati Raj system.
When the local body election is announced, the villagers get into a huddle at the local Vilva Viswanathan, Vanapetchiamman or Nondi Karuppasamy temples for a meeting. The elders decide who would represent them in the next council. It is a unanimous decision to elect the council, including the six ward members.
The chosen members file their nominations and at the end of the scrutiny, they are declared elected. Pandi Thevar of M Karisalkulam was elected panchayat president in 1996, when the Tamil Nadu Panchayat Act came into force. This panchayat has three villages, M Kariselkulam, M Thaniankottam, and M Usilankulam. There are a total of 825 voters in the three villages. M Karisalkulam has 280 houses, M Thanian Kootam 150 and the smallest M Usilankulam about 50 houses.
When the term of Pandi Thevar ended, his relative Kalimuthu was elected president. Uthravalli, daughter of Pandi Thevar was elected president in 1999, and Kalimuthu’s daughter Sandhanamari in 2014. Karuppasamy, son of Pandi Thevar, was elected panchayat president in the local body elections in 2019. When he fell ill in October 2020, the seat fell vacant and he died subsequently. So, his sister Vilvasanthi has now been elected unopposed in the by-election.
“Such practices make a mockery of the democratic process which aims at making women and dalits and all sections of the society leaders,” said Dr G Palanithurai, former professor in the department of political science and development administration, Gandhigram Rural Institute and Deemed University in Dindigul district.
President elect, Vilvasanthi said she would endeavour to do her best for the people of her panchayat as it was her duty. “We are here to do our best for the people, and I will do it with the help of the panchayat council and the support of my husband,” she said. “Such practices of choosing panchayat presidents is something that cannot be checked by legal means,” said Palanithurai, a Panchayat Raj expert. “This is prevalent in many villages, where a dominant caste topples or destroys the democratic process by design. The State Election Commission may be helpless, but political parties can stop it,” he said.
There is a lack of political will though and the villagers don’t complain either. They are accessories.
